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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fork · court · fall · tube · calf · hand · fan · rest

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — a break
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. rest — what's left
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fall — to drop
  8. tube — a container
  9. hand — in cards
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fall — the season
  12. court — of law
  13. court — for sport
  14. tube — the underground
  15. court — of a king
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. hand — help
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. calf — a young animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com